November 17, 2005
By Lucille Davie
THE public has until 15 December to comment on the Draft Scoping Report on the Market Street underpass for the proposed new Gauteng provincial government (GPG) square in the Joburg CBD.
The report has been compiled by Tswelopele Environmental, and is available at various venues for perusal. An environmental impact assessment is required under the Heritage Resources Act of 1999.
The extended square, looking north west
To be called the New Heritage Square, the new square is part of the broader Kopanong ("coming together") Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct to be created in downtown Joburg. It will be an extension of Beyers Naude Square, creating a space double the size of the present square.
In the process 10 buildings will have to be demolished, for which the South African Heritage Resources Agency has given permission. Nine of these buildings are considered to be heritage buildings, and the approval for their demolition has caused an outcry among the heritage community and the public in general.
Tswelopele Environmental says in the report that the new precinct will "create an urban and architectural environment that fosters cultural integration, creates a space for shared exchanges and a common home".
At present the Gauteng government occupies offices spread across the CBD, in some cases one department occupies more than one building. The new precinct will allow it to consolidate its office space, focused around the new square.
The square will incorporate Beyers Naude Square but also extend over Market Street and border on Sauer, President, Harrison and Commissioner streets, creating a space of 20 000mē.
Underpass
This means that the traffic flow along Market Street for four blocks will be interrupted by the square. Architect Fanuel Motsepe of Motsepe Architects (formerly NOA Architects) has proposed that instead of interrupting the flow of traffic, an underpass be constructed under Market Street, beginning at West Street in the west, and exiting at Rissik Street in the east.
The underpass in the west will take up two of the four lanes on the northern side of Market Street, dipping downwards underground for two blocks from West Street to Kort Street.
The tunnel then will run from Kort to Harrison streets, and will kink slightly southwards, surfacing between Harrison and Rissik streets. The ingress and egress ramps will dip downward and upward for 130 metres, or two blocks.
Motsepe says the start and exit of the underpass will blend with the activities of the street. The pavements will be extended, benches and trees will be strategically placed and street traders will be allowed alongside the ramps into and out of the tunnel.
To protect pedestrians from falling into the ramps, glass and metal walls will be built along each side, providing transparent edges, in an effort to continue the pedestrian flow of the street.
The pavements on Commissioner and President streets, on the northern and southern edges of the square, will also be widened.
Within the tunnel, there will be entrances and exits to underground parking garages north and south of Market Street. The northern entrance will feed to the present parking garage, the Harry Hofmeyr Parkade, while a new parkade will be built south of Market Street, to be called the New Heritage Parkade.
The walls of the tunnel will also be glazed, continuing the fluid look of the ramps and allowing motorists a clear view into the parkades.
Environmental Management Plan
During construction and afterwards, during operation, various safety precautions will have to be implemented, as recommended in the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) drawn up Tswelopele Environmental.
Dust during construction will have to be controlled and a ventilation system will be required to prevent the accumulation of vehicle exhaust emissions in the underpass.
The EMP also specifies that "proper measures" must be taken to ensure the safety and security of the public during construction. During operation, measures must be put in place to prevent pedestrians having access to the underpass, as well as ensuring the safety of traffic, particularly for possible incidents like fire in the underpass.
It also recommends, in consultation with a noise specialist, that noise levels must take into consideration office workers during the daytime and residents at night.
Tswelopele Environmental has suggested alternatives to the underpass: an overpass, the establishment of pedestrian bridges over Market Street, the pedestrianisation of Market Street in certain places, the movement of the ingress and egress ramps, and the re-routing of Market Street.
Motsepe says the underpass was the most feasible option.
Tswelopele Environmental does not expect that traffic will be greatly disrupted in the CBD during construction of the underpass, but rather on the outer periphery of the city. Once complete, the underpass "is not expected to impact significantly on traffic" during its operation.
During the construction phase Tswelopele Environmental expects positive economic effects in the form of job creation, and during operation, the underpass, as one element of the precinct, is "most likely to exert a positive socio-economic impact".
The company concludes its report by saying that "no significant negative impact has been identified which should stop the development of the underpass, provided that all recommendations and mitigation actions, where suggested in this report, are adhered to".
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